During the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee session on DECC priorities for 2015, MPs heard evidence from the Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd and Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

On shale gas, Julian Sturdy MP questioned what contribution the Secretary of State saw shale gas making to the energy mix. Ms Rudd noted that it was an important contributor and stressed her commitment to ensuring that the UK can explore for shale gas, pointing to experts who had confirmed that it was safe to extract. Further to that, Mr Sturdy queried how the Government would bridge the gap between its policy and public concern over fracking. In response, Ms Rudd urged local developers to make the case for the safe extraction of shale gas.